


Variations on Coming Out

by wicciangirl



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: Coming Out, Drama, Love, M/M, Romance, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-08
Updated: 2012-07-08
Packaged: 2017-11-09 10:30:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/454477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wicciangirl/pseuds/wicciangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four Ways Adam and Tommy didn’t come out as a couple (and one way they did)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Variations on Coming Out

***One***

 

As he waited for the woman in front of him to pay at the checkout, Tommy flipped through one of the random tabloids. He knew most of what they said was bull, but it was funny bull. Seeing Adam’s name, he stopped at the page and stared in shock at the pictures in front of him. The pictures were irrefutable proof of his relationship with Adam; there was no way they could be interpreted any other way Tommy thought with a smirk. He had to admit they were beautiful photographs even if it was not the way he had planned on coming out.

 

The first picture had to have been taken from a security camera because there was no other way it could exist. It was of Tommy straddling Adam with sweat glistening on their skin, and one of Adam’s pale hands was touching his face. It was unmistakable what they were doing, even if the places where their bodies joined was obscured. Tommy recognised it was the Santa Monica hotel room from the last tour. The room had been unofficially theirs but Tommy was given his own room for appearances sake even though the band and management knew about them. To Tommy it seemed to be an unnecessary expense since it was only ever used for storing their suitcases. It wasn’t like Tommy would sleep anywhere but in Adam’s embrace, he hated sleeping alone now. Whenever Adam had to leave him behind for some reason, Tommy never slept properly because the bed felt too big for just him and he missed the scent of Adam, a comforting yet arousing scent.

 

The second image was from a park they had visited in the middle of the day, taking advantage of how quiet it was since it was just after lunch and people would be working or at school. It had been their anniversary and they had feared not having any alone time until after the concert that night. They were sitting underneath a tree, Adam had insisted on it saying he didn’t want to get any freckles. Tommy loved each of Adam’s freckles, he could spend hours kissing the kisses on Adam’s face, neck and body, they were adorable just like Adam. The photograph was of his head in Adam’s lap, with Adam feeding him. It had been a little cheesy but Tommy had acquiesced to Adam’s unspoken plea and let the other man pamper him.

 

Tommy added the magazine to his purchases, he had to admit they were good photographs and he knew Adam would probably get a kick out of the article. If Adam had his way, they would probably frame it.

 

After paying for his groceries Tommy’s mind went back to Adam as was the case most of the time. They had been together for three years and they were still as in love as ever, so much so that their friends sometimes complained about them being too sappy. Tommy loved the way Adam found each one of his flaws acceptable, even his bad I-hate-people moods were accepted with little more than a wry grin as Adam passed over some sunglasses. When he was in public, the sunglasses were an effective way of preventing people from hassling him.  
  


Of course, he and Adam still had fights; Tommy would have been worried if they didn’t given their passionate natures. Their fights could be explosive, although they always resulted in amazing make-up sex. Just the day before they had a massive fight, mainly due to him losing his temper. Adam had gotten distracted whilst doing the laundry resulting in the destruction of Tommy’s favourite jacket, the one he had worn when they first met. When Adam had said it was just an accident and he was sorry, Tommy had lost his temper snarling at the singer if it wasn’t that important how would Adam feel if he destroyed Adam’s favourite necklace. Five minutes later when he had managed to find a bag to help Adam breathe, Tommy had rested his hand on Adam’s strong thighs and had profusely apologised. He should have known better than to suggest it, the necklace was more than just a piece of jewellery to Adam, it was the first thing he had bought after landing his first big gig.

 

The argument was the reason he was awake at 06:30 and shopping for the ingredients to make Adam breakfast. Now he could make breakfast and give his lover the happy news that they didn’t have to make any plans to come out. Adam would be overjoyed since the man had been planning their coming out for months; wanting to make sure it went smoothly for Tommy.

 

***Two***

 

The big day had arrived, the day they would finally put the rumours to rest, by way of Adam’s new album. The cover booklet was filled with the photographs of their everyday lives as they wanted people to see that they were just like any other couple. The photographs in question were candid shoots taken by a journalist who had been given unrestricted access to them for the day. The first picture was of Adam making breakfast and Tommy looking at his notebook for inspiration, the second was of Tommy lying on the sofa with Adam lying down on one at a right angle to him, Adam’s head in Tommy’s lap as the singer gestured wildly. The third picture was of them in front of a mirror dressed for a night out, Adam’s arms around his waist and the reassuringly hard chest against his back. Adam was lightly kissing his neck causing Tommy’s head fall back, exposing more of his skin to Adam's beautiful lips. The last picture was his favourite, it was of he and Adam kissing with their arms around each other at some party Brad was holding. Tommy couldn’t think what one since Brad seemed to have a party every month.

 

Adam knew if the pictures didn’t make it clear his dedication certainly would. The singer had taken weeks to find the perfect words, something that wasn't corny but clearly showed how much he loved Tommy. He had chosen to record his dedication so that everyone who heard his album would know the truth. Adam put the album on and smiled as his voice filled the room, happy that there was no chance of people misinterpreting his words.

 

“This album is dedicated to Tommy Joe Ratliff, my love, my hope, my joy. I love you, kitten. Every day I thank the universe for sending you into my life.”

 

“Wow,” Tommy said hearing Adam’s proclamation of love.

 

Tommy had wondered what Adam was going to say but he had never thought it would be so beautiful. He felt a little guilty that his declaration wasn’t as dramatic and beautiful. Tommy had simply written a thank you to Adam for loving him and that he knew the last three years was only the start of their life together.

 

“I can’t wait to see how mom reacts. She will probably start picking out china patterns. She won’t be happy when I say we’re not getting married.”

 

“Probably not,” Adam said laughing.

 

Tommy and Adam had agreed a year ago that they didn’t need really a ceremony to prove their love and commitment. Of course, that didn't mean it would never happen, it  just wasn't something they felt compelled to do. They had each other’s power of attorney, two homes together and a legal agreement in place in case the worst should happen and they broke up. Tommy had originally protested saying it made him feel like a whore but Adam had patiently explained he wanted something in place to reassure both of them that they were free to leave if they stopped loving each other. He didn’t want either of them to be trapped in a loveless relationship just because of financial concerns. Tommy saw the sense in Adam’s words and agreed since it would give them a safety net.

 

Under the agreement Tommy, retained full rights to the song they wrote together under the name ALTR, some of which had become instant hits. He would also get the New York apartment and $500,000 for every year they had been together, Adam had wanted to make it $750,000 but Tommy had point blank refused. 

 

One hour later when the stores opened and the album went on sale, twitter and the phone lines exploded in a tide of well wishes from fans coupled with a few smug I-told-you-so’s. In their apartment, Adam and Tommy read the blogs from the internet in amusement. They had to have the coolest and apparently most unflappable fans.

 

***Three***

 

Tommy laughed when Adam picked him up; smoothly carrying him into what was now **their** home. He couldn’t believe they were really married. The ceremony itself was a small affair, just them, the managers of the resort and the official. The newlyweds had spent the following week on their honeymoon, the days and nights full of joy, passion and love. Adam had suggested they have another ceremony with their circle of family and friends, to which Tommy happily agreed.

 

Tommy would happily do anything for Adam and he knew the feeling was returned. Adam was everything he had needed and wanted, when they had first started dating, Tommy had marvelled at how seamlessly the shift from friends to lovers had been. From their first night together, Tommy had realised he could never give Adam up, to do so would be like losing a part of himself.

 

Adam carried his beautiful husband to the sofa, still amazed that the beauty was his forever. There was no greater joy than having Tommy in his arms. He truly believed he could fight dragons so long as he had Tommy. Everything was perfect because Tommy was his and he was Tommy’s until the day their bodies turned to dust.

 

Tommy looked down at the simple announcement, amazed that such a small paragraph could make his heart sing. The announcement was in bold, colourful script in the centre of the announcements page, a little ostentatious but it took care of announcing their marriage without having to make a series of repetitive phone calls.

 

**Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion  
that each include the other,  
each is enriched by the other.  
      ~ Felix Adler**

**Mr Adam Lambert and Mr Tommy Ratliff are overjoyed to announce they were joined as life partners on Tuesday 14 th May 2011. **

 

“Are you okay, husband of mine?” Adam said with a grin on seeing Tommy’s dreamy look.

 

“Yeah, just imagining how everyone is going to react.”

 

“Probably a lot of squealing from the fans and tears from our moms,” Adam said with a shrug.

 

Adam switched on his phone for the first time since their wedding; they had switched their phones off so they could enjoy their honeymoon without any interruptions. He laughed lowly at the frantic beeping, opening it, he wasn’t surprised to see Twitter had exploded in a storm of shocked reactions. Adam couldn’t wait to see the reactions the following day when they made their first public appearance. Together he and Tommy were going to change the world, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

 

***Four ***

 

Tommy ran through the door, ignoring the speculative looks in his need to get to Adam. He felt his heart racing in his chest as he thought about just two hours earlier when his world had crumbled underneath him.

 

***Flashback***

 

“Our top story tonight, the musician Adam Lambert is in critical condition after being in a car accident. Witnesses say the car careened off the road and hit a wall. There has been no word yet from Mr Lambert’s spokesman or the hospital.”

 

Tommy stared at the television, unable to believe what he was hearing, this couldn’t have happened to his Adam. It was his entirely his fault. Tommy loved Adam, he loved being Adam’s beautiful boy but sometimes he could be a bastard and hurt Adam because of his own issues and his tendency to blurt things out without thinking it through first.

 

Tommy had known for over a year that Adam didn’t like keeping their relationship a secret, admittedly not much of a secret given the rumours about them. The only reason they were keeping quiet was because Tommy didn’t want Adam’s career, reputation and image suffer. The blond felt coming out would cause some idiots to insist that Adam had somehow made him gay, as ridiculous a notion as that was since you couldn’t change someone’s sexuality. Tommy had cajoled, pouted and begged Adam into staying silent about their relationship, not that they had to tone down their behaviour too much since people were used to them playing and flirting. Their circle of friends and family knew about them, Neil was the first since he had walked on them mid-fuck, to his credit, the man had just walked out of the room and cornered Tommy later to warn the man not to hurt his brother.

 

Just a few hours earlier he and Adam had just finished lunch when Adam had casually mentioned that he had been asked to present an award at the VMA’s and that the label were going to find him someone to accompany him, unless Tommy wanted to go with him. Tommy’s heart had stopped at Adam’s words. Tommy had lost his temper at Adam’s suggestion about the awards saying there was no way he could go and Adam was crazy for even asking. He had spied the pain in Adam’s eyes as soon as he said it but before he could apologise, Adam fled to the sanctuary of his music studio. Feeling like scum for hurting his love, Tommy left the house so he could get his thoughts in order to apologise and explain why he had been so cold.

 

Tommy grabbed his car keys and ran out of the house, all he could think about was getting to Adam. he couldn’t lose Adam, the man was the most important person in his life and the only one he could see himself spending the rest of his life with.

 

***End Flashback***

 

“Can I help you?” A condescending voice said as Tommy came to a stop.

 

“Adam Lambert, where is he? Is he okay?” Tommy said frantically.

 

“I am not at liberty to say.”

 

“He’s my fucking husband, now let me see him!” Tommy snarled, throwing down a piece of paper, relieved that he had agreed to Adam’s request that they become each other’s power of attorney.

 

“Oh. I'll get his doctor for you,” The receptionist said seriously, smiling in relief when a tall brunette Hispanic doctor approached.

 

Desperately the receptionist said quickly, “Doctor Montez, this is Tommy Ratliff, Adam Lambert’s husband.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Mr Ratliff. I was just going to see Mr Lambert now, if you want to come with me.”

 

Tommy nodded frenetically, reassuring himself that Adam couldn’t be seriously injured if the doctor was so relaxed and was still in the ER. If it was something serious then Adam would be in surgery or in the ICU.

 

When the doctor opened the door to Adam’s room, Tommy rushed in and let out a whimper of relief on seeing Adam sitting up and staring back at him with love. uncaring as to what the doctor might think, Tommy gently took Adam’s hand and placed a soft chaste kiss on Adam’s lips. Tommy pulled back with a sigh, knowing it couldn’t be a deeper kiss because he would lose all his control otherwise and whilst he wasn’t opposed to having sex in a hospital bed, he didn’t want an audience. Tommy wanted nothing more than to strip Adam and touch every part of the man’s skin to reassure himself that Adam was alive and with him.

 

“Hey, Glitterbaby.”

 

“God, I thought I had lost you. Are you okay? Do you need some water or anything?” Tommy said frantically whilst he held onto Adam’s right hand.

 

Knowing her findings would reassure the couple the doctor said quickly, “You’re free to go, Mr Lambert. Just remember not to do any strenuous exercise for the next day and if you get a headache, take painkillers that do not contain aspirin. You need to be woken every hour and asked some questions to make sure your concussion doesn’t get worse.”

 

Adam nodded as did Tommy, the older man committing them to memory so he could make sure Adam was okay because his husband always said he was feeling fine, even after a speaker had fallen on him giving him a broken leg in two places. He loved his husband but Tommy could be frustrating because he was constantly worrying that Adam would dismiss a serious injury.

 

The doctor left the room with a polite smile, ready for her next case to come through the doors. She had to admit that Adam Lambert was a lucky man to escape with relatively minor injuries. She had knew that even if the singer didn’t listen, his partner had plainly paid attention and was clearly going to follow her instructions.

 

Inside the hospital room, Adam realised he didn’t have any clothes to wear, apart from the ones he had been wearing when he had the accident and he had a feeling Tommy would fly into overprotective mode if he did wear them. He loved Tommy with everything he was but the older man could be a mother hen at times and Adam’s clothes from the accident showed just how badly he could have been hurt. With a sigh, Adam picked up the bag of clothes, already envisioning Tommy’s reaction.

 

Tommy said quickly, “We’ll have to go through the back door since the paparazzi were just starting to take root outside when I came in. Now you are going to shut the fuck up and let me take care of you. “

 

“Sure.

 

“I could have lost you. I'm sorry Adam, I was being an asshole. I just...sometimes I wonder why you put up with having to hide our relationship when there are hundreds of hot, available and out men who would happily fall at your feet.”

 

“It’s simple, I love you. My beautiful boy, there could never be anyone else.” Adam said seriously.

 

Tommy blurted, “I'm sorry, babe. I'm going to tell everyone that I'm in love with you, that you are the reason I wake up in the morning.”

 

Adam reassured, “You don’t have to do that, I know you aren’t ready.”

 

“I am I just didn’t want your career to suffer because of me.”

 

Adam smirked, “Tommy Joe, haven’t you read the blogs, women apparently find the idea of us being in a relationship hot. Anyway, my real fans will be fine with us, most of them probably think we’ve been together since the AMA’s. So how do you want to come out?”

 

In answer, Tommy unfastened his necklace and took off his wedding band that he wore everyday under his clothes. Placing his ring on his finger, he smirked when Adam copied him. The rings were simple but beautiful rings, platinum with their birthstones in the centre. The pair spent months looking for the perfect rings and had admittedly blown a ridiculous amount of money on them but agreed they were the most important pieces of jewellery they would ever wear.

 

Tommy helped Adam get his shirt on, an operation that ended up lasting thirty minutes because they got distracted by each other’s beautiful eyes and full lips. Once he looked decent enough to go back into the public eye, Adam shivered slightly when Tommy held out his hand. Placing his hand in Tommy’s, the couple’s hands remained joined as they made their way to the front desk so Adam could sign out and listen to another explanation of what could happen, ignoring the hum of speculative people.

 

Adam rose an eyebrow at Tommy, wanting to make sure the man was ready for what they were about to do. In response Tommy’s lip’s quirked into a small smile as he gently pulled Adam towards the front door and the assembled media. Tommy had decided that although it might be a little difficult to manoeuvre around the people, it was the quickest way to come out.

 

Even though he had expected a lot of people, Adam was still temporarily blinded by a camera flash as they stepped outside. He was slightly surprised when Tommy stopped and looped a quick arm around his waist, giving the members of the press a cold glare.

 

Tommy said in a happy light tone, “As you can see Adam’s okay. So can you please move so that I can take my husband home?”

 

“Husband?”  One reporter said in confusion but before she could say anything else Tommy started speaking.

 

Tommy nodded answering, ““Yeah, husband. Adam and I have been married for eight months. We’ll give a proper interview about this tomorrow, just call our agent. Right now we just want to go home.”

 

With her pen at the ready a short, slightly plump woman asked, “So you two live together?”

 

Adam let out a snort of laughter saying, “Well, yeah. You did hear Tommy say we are married, right?”

 

“On that note, we’re going to go.” Tommy said smoothly.

 

The couple made their way through the crowd until they reached Tommy’s car and quickly got inside. Adam could feel a buzz of excitement in his spine, he felt like all his birthdays had come at once when he heard Tommy proclaim to the world that they were married.

 

“Happy, Babyboy?”

 

Adam nodded happily, “Oh yeah. People are going to freak out when they find out how long we’ve been married.”

 

Tommy suggested, “So how about we go home, I'll get a bath ready for you and we can have an early night.”

 

Adam nodded in agreement saying, “Sounds great. Tomorrow we can see how our coming out has changed the world.”

 

With that thought in mind. Tommy started the car and the couple sped towards their home, looking forward to seeing how the world reacted to their announcement.

 

***How they did come out***

 

Glaring at the man across the room who had dared to put a hand on Adam’s arm, Tommy mentally counted to ten. He knew there was no reason for him to be jealous, Adam would never cheat on him but that didn’t mean he had to put up with some bobble headed tramp pawing at his love.

 

“Unless you want to come out, you had better tone down the death glare,” Monte commented smirking.

 

“Fuck off,” Tommy snarled on seeing the stranger actually trying to pull Adam towards him.

 

Putting his glass down, Tommy moved through the crowd of people until finally he was at Adam’s side, arriving just in time to hear Adam destroy the man hitting on him.

 

Adam said coolly, “Are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion? I'm with someone and even if I wasn’t, why would I want to waste my time with some insipid, twink who thinks they can ride their way to the top.”

 

“You can’t talk to me like that!”

 

“Newsflash, honey, I just did. Now scurry off and find someone else to use,” Adam said with a smirk.

 

“Hey Babyboy,” Tommy said with a dirty grin as he quickly moved into the space between Adam and the bar, so that his back was against Adam’s chest.

 

Tommy smiled when his love’s hand softly started to stroke his chest, in familiar soothing movements. Obviously, Adam was aware of his anger at the stranger and was trying to get him to calm down. Although no one would think it to look at him, Tommy had a hell of a temper, when he lost it people tended to take cover. Tommy wasn’t one for talking to people, he had problems organising his thoughts, which made him come across as stupid sometimes. It was like Tommy’s brain was going at a hundred and ten miles an hour and his mouth couldn’t keep up. From his place in Adam’s arms, Tommy snarled at the interloper.

 

“Who are you?” The stranger sneered.

 

“His partner,” Tommy said coolly.

 

The man’s eyes widened in fear, seeing the cold glint in the blond man’s eyes, apparently, he had picked the wrong target. Sure, he wanted to get ahead in the music business but not enough that he would go against the blond.

 

Tommy turned around in Adam’s embrace, loving the familiar feel of the singer’s calloused fingers on his skin. Even after their years together, Adam’s touch was still able to make him feel weak at the knees and he hoped that never changed.

 

Adam licked his lips as he looked at Tommy, the flush to Tommy’s pale skin and possessive glint in his eyes was enough to make Adam want to push him to the floor and ride him hard and fast. Adam gently licked at his love’s neck, feeling Tommy shiver against him. He loved being able to make Tommy fall apart at his touch, gently he just nipped at the tender skin before moving back and lightly grinding against Tommy.

 

“Let’s go, I want to feel you inside me,” Tommy hissed as their hard cocks rubbed against each other.

 

Adam considered the suggestion carefully, wanting to go back to their hotel room and fuck Tommy into oblivion but technically, he was supposed to do the whole rockstar thing and make nice with a bunch of celebrities. He mentally tallied up the time he had spent at the party so far making the rounds and decided it had been at least an hour, more than enough time.

 

Moving away from Adam said, “Let’s go, beautiful.”

 

Tommy smiled, half leaning on Adam, all they could see was each other as they made their way out of the club, their bodies always touching. Adam snarled when Tommy was wrenched from his arms, seconds later a tall vaguely familiar redheaded man had was standing over Tommy. Not caring about his own safety, Adam launched himself at the stranger, causing the man to fall down, away from Tommy. He had no idea why someone would attack Tommy, most people who met him seemed to want to protect the blond.

 

“You fucking move and I'll kill you,” Adam snarled into the stranger’s ear as he got up and rushed over to Tommy.

 

“Are you okay, Kitten?” Adam asked gently as he helped Tommy up, frowning at the cut on the man’s forehead.

 

“Yeah, babe. Let’s just go home, I thought you were going to fuck me until I can’t move.” Tommy said with a smirk.

 

Adam licked his lips, unable to think of anything but having Tommy writhing underneath him, begging for his touch. They would go home and he could clean up the cut on Tommy’s head before fucking him. Tommy was obviously okay if he was still thinking about sex but then his love had a large sexual appetite to match his own. He wrapped his arms around Tommy, their mouths meeting in a heated kiss, just enough to notch up their anticipation for the amazing sex that was to come.

 

Tommy spared the still frozen man on the floor a quick glance, only just noticing the camera lying on the floor next to him. He realised his attacker was a photographer and undoubtedly there would be another one stationed nearby, the paparazzi were like wolves, they always operated in a pack. The headlines the next day would sure be interesting. There was nothing they could do about it but in a way it would make their lives easier since they wouldn’t have to worry about coming out.

 

Although they had acknowledged they would have to come out at some point, and had planned for it to be subtle, the pair had been dreading it. Sure, they were famous but the couple wanted to avoid all the hype about their relationship, like Beyoncé and Jay-Z had accomplished, the obvious difference being that they were in the band together. Both Adam and Tommy felt the media hype and the inevitable dissection of their every interaction would be oppressive and put an unwanted strain on their relationship. It was unlikely  to destroy their relationship since they had been dating for two years and still loved, trusted and believed in each other, but there was always a risk.

 

Tommy jumped when a man appeared out of nowhere, brandishing a camera. Apparently, having to put up with some guy all over his man and being attacked by some over eager paparazzo wasn’t enough, no now he was being cock blocked by some obnoxious idiot brandishing a camera as though it was a shield of invincibility.

 

“So are you still going to insist your straight, Tommy?” The man asked dryly.

 

Tommy sighed, “Actually, I'm bisexual and yeah, we’re dating. Now get the fuck out of the way.”

 

The stranger's eyebrows rose at the words as he queried, “Where are you going?”

 

“None of your business, now please move.” Tommy said coldly, pleased that Adam trusted him to deal with the press without making them look like idiots.

 

The couple fled to the sanctuary of their waiting car, both imagining the reactions from their friends and family at how they had come out, not to mention, someone at the label would have a heart attack. A part of Tommy was looking forward to it given how condescending some of the executives were when it came to their relationship, insisting it had to be kept hidden from the public for the sake of Adam’s career since they couldn’t have people thinking Adam made Tommy gay.

 

The End


End file.
